Hydraulic platforms

ABSTRACT

A hydraulic platform comprising a boom assembly movable between substantially horizontal and vertical dispositions and mounting a platform cage at its free end, and a ladder extending alongside at least part of the boom assembly between the cage and a position above the boom-supporting surface, the ladder being extensible from said position into contact with the ground or other convenient surface which provides a landing area.

United States Patent Kenneth Henry Lane Wolverhampton, England June 2, 1969 Jane 15, 1971 Simon Engineering Dudley Limited Dudley, England June 7, 1968 Gneat Britain Inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee Priority HYDRAULIC PLATFORMS l 1 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl. 182/67,

182/2, 182/127 Int. Cl. E06c 5/04 Field of Search 182/127,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 342,820 6/1886 Bray 182/66 2,946,397 7/1960 Berberich 182/127 3,197,036 7/1965 Mason..... 182/65 3,262,517 7/1966 Malec 182/2 Primary Examiner-Reinaldo P. Machado Attorney-Norris & Bateman ABSTRACT: A hydraulic platform comprising a boom assembly movable between substantially horizontal and vertical dispositions and mounting a platform cage at its free end, and a ladder extending alongside at least part of the boom assembly between the cage and a position above the boom-supporting surface, the ladder being extensible from said position into contact with the ground or other convenient surface which provides a landing area.

PATENTEUJumsmn 3.5841703 SHEET 2 OF 3 INVENTOR ATTCRNETYS HYDRAULIC PLATFORMS This invention relates to hydraulic platforms and especially but not exclusively to hydraulic platforms used by firefighting services.

It is well known that hydraulic platforms mounted on vehicles are employed for firefighting purposes, and consist of a boom assembly consisting of one boom, or a plurality of booms interhinged or pivoted, with the boom assembly supported at one end on a convenient surface of the vehicle and with a cage at the other end, the boom assembly being movable hydraulically to extend upwardly from the vehicle supported end to dispose the cage at the required location.

It is also known to provide a ladder along the length of the boom assembly to provide a way of access to the elevated cage if it is not possible to move the boom/cage? assembly due to lack of space or possible fouling of service lines, such as water and air delivery hoses for example extending from the cage into a building. The ladder may be along one side of the boom assembly or have its sections disposed at opposite sides thereof with possibly a ladder section on top of the upper boom of a boom assembly having a plurality of booms.

Such ladders terminate, at their upper ends, at the cage, and, at their lower end, at a distance above the ground. Consequently, such ladders connected to hydraulic platforms employed for firefighting duties are generally not employed to assist descent of trapped persons from burning buildings and are not adapted for such purposes.

It is an object of the present invention to providea hydraulic platform suitable for firefighting purposes and provided with a convenient escape ladder.

According to the present invention there is provided a hydraulic platform comprising a boom assembly movable between substantially horizontal and verticaldispositions and mounting a platform cage at its free end, and a ladder extending alongside at least part of the boom assembly between thecage and a position above the boom-supporting surface, the ladder being extensible from said position into contact with the ground or other convenient surface which provides a landing area.

It is preferred thatthe ladder or a part thereof be pivotal relative to the boom assembly.

It is also preferred to provide a ladder at its cage adjacent end which is extensible upwardly of the cage to provide a ladder extension reaching beyond the highest elevation of the cage.

It will be manifest that the present invention thus provides a hydraulic platform mounting a ladder extensible upwardly and downwardly to provide a continuous staircase reaching higher than the highest elevation of the cage and capable of terminating at its lower end in contact with the ground or other safe landing area.

It is to be noted that the ladder or ladder sections may be detachably coupled to the boom.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a firefighting vehicle incorporating a hydraulic platform with an escape ladder in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a pempective view of a similar vehicle showing the escape ladder extended between the cage and ground; and,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the boom and escape ladder of FIG. 2 from a position underneath the boom.

A firefighting vehicle has a relatively flat deck 11 on which is supported a turntable 12 mounting a hydraulic platform 13. The hydraulic platform is thus rotatable through 360.

The hydraulic platform 13, in this instance, comprises a lower boom M hinged at one end to one end of an upper boom 15 thus forming an articulated boom assembly with a knuckle joint 16 between the boom sections. The other end of the lower boom 16 is conveniently connected in known manner to the turntable l2 and the other end of the upper boom 15 mounts a cage 17 for supporting a fire officer. As is customary the articulated boom l4, 1.5 is hydraulically moved and controlled by rams 18 and i9, convenient controls being provided on the cage 17 and, for safety reasons, duplicated on the vehicle.

In collapsed, out-of-use condition (see FIG. 1) the upper boom 15 overlies the lower boom 1.4 in customary manner with the cage 17 depending from the upper boom 15 at the rear of the vehicle 10.

The customary service lines (not shown) for, for example, water and air extend along the booms l4, 15 between the vehicle l0 and the cage 17 as is usual.

The vehicle 10 has at each side retractable legs 20 which are clear of the ground save when the hydraulic platform 13 is in use. In this condition (see FIG. 2), the: legs 20 are lowered into contact with the ground to provide stability.

The articulated boom l4, 15 is provided with a ladder generally indicated at 21 which can be employed in descending from a burning building or other elevated locations where ordinary descent is prevented. The ladder 21 consists of a section secured to each boom 14 or 15, with the upper ladder section 22 secured to one side of the upper boom 15 by convenient brackets or couplings (not shown) and extending between the knuckle joint 16 and the cage 17, and with the lower ladder section 23 secured to the same side of the lower boom 14 and extending between the knuckle joint 16 and a location on the lower boom 14 above the vehicle deck 11.

In accordance with the present invention, the lower boom ladder 23 is pivoted to the lower boom 14 at the knuckle joint 16 as indicated at 24 and is hinged to ladder section 22 as indicated at 25. The lower end of ladder section 23 has connected to it one end of a rope or the like 26 which is looped around a lateral rod or peg 27 secured to the lower boom 24 and with the other end of the rope 26 secured to a securing pin, bracket or the like (not shown) or even a manual or power winch if desired, whereby the angle subtended by the boom 14 and lower ladder section 23 can be easily and readily varied to locate the ladder section 23 in the desired adjusted attitude relative to the boom.

The lower ladder section 23 is provided with an extension ladder 28 so that the lower ladder 23, 28 is extensible when the lower boom is in an elevated position. The lower boom ladder 23, 28 can be pivoted outwardly of the lower boom 14 and be extended downwardly relative to the boom to rest on the vehicle deck 11, or cab roof 29, or the ground, or other surface providing a convenient firm landing area (see FIG. I).

Also in accordance with the present invention, the upper boom 15 mounts on its upper surface a ladder 30, which is extensible upwardly past the cage 17 (see FIG. 1) so as to give greater height to the firefighting vehicle.

It is to be noted that the ladder sections can all be located on the same side of the boom as shown with the top extension ladder on top of the top boom, or they can be disposed at opposite sides of the boom so long as a staircase is provided along the whole length of the boom, and the top extension ladder may be mounted at a side of the top boom instead of on the top thereof.

The ladder sections may be completely detachable from the boom, being releasably secured to the boom by convenient brackets, couplings or the like secured to the boom side or sides.

This detachability of the ladder sections enables the ladders to be used independently from the hydraulic platform when this is desired. The ladders should normally be stowed on the booms when not in use since if stowed elsewhere on the vehicle they might interfere with rotation of the boom. Thus, detachable ladder sections serve, when on the boom, as. a means of access to the cage, and, when detached, as an extending ladder which can be used separately from the hydraulic platform.

It will be appreciated that it is not intended to limit the invention to the above example only, many variations being possible, without departing from the scope thereof, as defined by the appended claims.

Thus, for example, the invention may be applied to a vehicle having a boom assembly including three or even more articulated booms. The ladder sections would be mounted on at least some of such booms so as to provide a stairway from the cage to the ground or other convenient landing area.

What I claim is:

l. A hydraulic platform comprising a boom assembly movable between substantially horizontal and vertical dispositions and mounting a platform cage at its free end, and a ladder extending alongside at least part of the boom assembly between the cage and a position above the boom-supporting surface, said ladder being extensible from said position into contact with the ground or other convenient surface which provides a landing area, said boom assembly comprising a plurality of pivotally interconnected booms extensible by hydraulic rams between a stowed position wherein the booms are substantially parallel and horizontal and an extended position wherein the booms are in substantially end-to-end alignment, and said ladder being comprised by a number of ladder sections associated with at least some of said booms, the lowermost ladder section being extensible downwardly of its supporting boom for contact with the ground or other convenient surface which provides a landing area.

2. A hydraulic platform as claimed in claim 1, in which the lowermost ladder section carried at the side of a boom is pivotal relative to the latter.

3. A hydraulic platform according to claim 2 wherein said lowermost ladder section is adjustably secured to a boom adjacent its bottom by a rope or the like looped around a rod on the boom side and a securing means.

4. A hydraulic platform according to claim 3 wherein there are two booms and two ladder sections.

5. A hydraulic platform as claimed in claim 4 including a ladder at the cage location and extensible above the cage to provide a ladder extension of the boom reaching beyond the highest elevation of the cage.

6. A hydraulic platform as claimed in claim 4 in which the ladder or ladder sections are dismountable from the boom.

7. An access platform comprising a boom assembly mounted at one end upon elevated support means and having a platform cage at its free end, said boom assembly being moveable between a lowered stowed disposition and a raised working disposition supporting the platform cage at an elevated position a material distance above said support means, a ladder extending alongside at least part of the raised boom assembly between the cage and a region above said support means, and a movable lower section on said ladder having a section that is extensible from said region substantially into contact with the ground or other surface that provides a landing area.

8. A hydraulic platform as claimed in claim 7 including a ladder at the cage location and extensible above the cage to provide a ladder extension of the boom reaching beyond the highest elevation of the cage.

9. A hydraulic platform as claimed in claim 7 in which the ladder or ladder sections are dismountable from the boom.

10. A hydraulic platform as claimed in claim 7 when mounted on a vehicle.

11. A boom assembly comprising a plurality of booms pivotally connected end to end, a turntable mounted on a vehicle at a location that is elevated relative to the ground and on which an end of one of the booms is mounted, a cage mounted on the free end of the outer boom, said boom assembly being movable between a folded lower position wherein the booms are generally side by side and a raised unfolded position wherein the booms extend upwardly from said turntable to dispose said cage in an elevated position, a ladder extending along said boom assembly and having an upper section mounted on the upper boom and a lower section pivotally connected at its upper end to the ladder section above it and to the upper end of said lower boom, said lower ladder section when said boom assembly is in raised position being extensible to substantially reach the ground adjacent the vehicle. 

1. A hydraulic platform comprising a boom assembly movable between substantially horizontal and vertical dispositions and mounting a platform cage at its free end, and a ladder extending alongside at least part of the boom assembly between the cage and a position above the boom-supporting surface, said ladder being extensible from said position into contact with the ground or other convenient surface which provides a landing area, said boom assembly comprising a plurality of pivotally interconnected booms extensible by hydraulic rams between a stowed position wherein the booms are substantially parallel and horizontal and an extended position wherein the booms are in substantially end-toend alignment, and said ladder being comprised by a number of ladder sections associated with at least some of said booms, the lowermost ladder section being extensible downwardly of its supporting boom for contact with the ground or other convenient surface which provides a landing area.
 2. A hydraulic platform as claimed in claim 1, in which the lowermost ladder section carried at the side of a boom is pivotal relative to the latter.
 3. A hydraulic platform according to claim 2 wherein said lowermost ladder section is adjustably secured to a boom adjacent its bottom by a rope or the like looped around a rod on the boom side and a securing means.
 4. A hydraulic platform according to claim 3 wherein there are two booms and two ladder sections.
 5. A hydraulic platform as claimed in claim 4 including a ladder at the cage location and extensible above the cage to provide a ladder extension of the boom reaching beyond the highest elevation of the cage.
 6. A hydraulic platform as claimed in claim 4 in which the ladder or ladder sections are dismountable from the boom.
 7. An access platform comprising a boom assembly mounted at one end upon elevated support means and having a platform cage at its free end, said boom assembly being moveable between a lowered stowed disposition and a raised working disposition supporting the platform cage at an elevated position a material distance above said support means, a ladder extending alongside at least part of the raised boom assembly between the cage and a region above said support means, and a movable lower section on said ladder having a section that is extensible from said region substantially into contact with the ground or other surface that provides a landing area.
 8. A hydraulic platform as claimed in claim 7 including a ladder at the cage location and extensible above the cage to provide a ladder extension of the boom reaching beyond the highest elevation of the cage.
 9. A hydraulic platform as claimed in claim 7 in which the ladder or ladder sections are dismountable from the boom.
 10. A hydraulic platform as claimed in claim 7 when mounted on a vehicle.
 11. A boom assembly comprising a plurality of booms pivotally connected end to end, a turntable mounted on a vehicle at a location that is elevated relative to the ground and on which an end of one of the booms is mounted, a cage mounted on the free end of the outer boom, said boom assembly being movable between a folded lower position wherein the booms are generally side by side and a raised unfolded position wherein the booms extend upwardly from said turntable to dispose said cage in an elevated position, a ladder extending along said boom assembly and having an upper section mounted on the upper boom and a lower section pivotally connected at its upper end to the ladder section above it and to the upper end of said lower boom, said lower ladder section when said boom assembly is in raised position being extensible to substantially reach the ground adjacent the vehicle. 